Signaling system



Aug. 13, 1940. M. E. GRIFFINS SIGNALING SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 27, 1956 l] [I I] [I I] Il 5 mm P WG m5 5 M 0 M ATTORNEY.

Aug. 13, 1940. M. E. GRIFFINS SIGNALING SYS'I'BI Filad June 27. 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I NVENTOR. MOPR/S E. GP/FF/NS TTORNE Y Patented Aug. 13, 1940 PATENT OFFICE SIGNALING SYSTEM Morris E. Grifi7'ms, Western Springs, 111., a-ssignor to Associated Eleotric Laboratories, ln c., Chicaga, 111;, a corporation of Delaware Application .Fu ne 27, 1.936, Serial. No. 87,631

9 Claims. (CL 177-360) ing device or dia1 CD end a. key K for connectng The present invention relates in general t o sgnaling systems and more in particular to fire alarm systems such as are commonly used to announce the location of fires by coded blasts of a whistle or siren.

In the ordinary fire alarm system a number of alarm boxes are located at strategie points throughout the city, and ea.ch box is provided with means for sending a distnctive sgnal to a. central point where contro] appara;tus is provided capa.ble of responding to any signal to operate the siren in accordance therewth and thus announce the looation of the fire, or more accurately, the location of the box from whch the alarm is sent.

'Ihis type of system has gven satsfaction, but the number of alarm boxes that can be provided is necessarily limted, and it happens frequently that when a fire ocours the person discovering it Will notbe close to an alarm box and will find it quicker and more convenient to telephone the alarm to the central exchange. Most telephone operating companies 1ist a fire number in their directories.

The invention is especially directed to thesituation outlined in the foregoing, and. has for its objeet the provison of apparatus for installation at a telephone exchange to supplement the a1arm box system, and afforol means by whichan operator receving a fire call can quickly bring about the proper opera/don of the sren and cause the same to announce the location of the fire in the same manner as when controlled from an alarm box.

A more detailed explanation of the invention and the varous features thereof will be gveri hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanyng drawngs, in which- Fig. 1 is a, diagrammatic circuit drawing showing oertan equipment of an automatic telephone exchange equipped With the invention; end

Fig. 2 is a dagrammatc circuit drawing of the apparatus for controlling the sren.

The invention will be described on the assumption that t is installed in an automatic telephone exchange. As s well known, such an exchange will have one or more operatore to handle informaton calle, complaint ca.l1s, etc., and it Will be assumed that these operators also handle the fire calls. As each operator has a number of out going trunks over which she san extend outgoing calls, no additional automatic equp-ment has to be installed ordinarily, as the sys-tem of outgoing trunks can be used to gve access to the siren contro1 apparatus.

Referring to the drawngs, the reference letter J in Fig. 1 indcatesa jack Which terminates an outgoing trunk at an operators positon. The reference letter P indcates a portion of a nord. circuit at the operators position. .Only the 02.11.-

it across the cord are shown.

The trunk lne shown extends to a first selector SI, Whch along with other similar selectors has access to second selectors such as the selector S2. These selectors may a11 be of the well known Strowger vertical and rotary type. The trunk 1ine J and. the selectors SI end S2 are primarily used for completing telephone connectons.

There may be other selectors beyond the second selectors, third. seleotors, for example, bt1t 'for convenience the sren control apparatus has been shown as accessible from the second selectors. As can readily be seen from the drawings the first, second, and fourth 1evels are used. for this purpose, while the other levels not shown are used in regula.r telephone connections.

The siren control apparatus s shown in Fig. 2 end compriSes the busy key BK, a number of relays, three so-called minor switches MSI, MS2, and MS3, ami two rotary switches, RS! and RSZ.

and it Will be sufficient to state that When the coding re1ay H3 energzes it closes a circut at l'13 for actuating the siren over the conductors I'IO and 112 extending from the telephone ex-v change to the fire station. If the siren equipment includesa. normally energzed relay that fel1s back to actuate the siren then the leads to the siren are connected to terminals I'H and I'I2 instead of to l'ID end l'12. These terminals, therefore, afford a. convenient means of adapting the control apparatus to-any type of siren equipment.

The crcuits from the alarm box apparatus, not shown, may tie in either a,t termina,ls

IID-I2 or at terminals on the siren equipment.

It wll be assumed now that a fire is reported.

the operator wi11 check the reported location of the fire against a map or chart With which she is provided so as to determine the nearest alarm box, Which may be, for example,box No. 35. It will be understood that the boxes are numbered in accordance with the code sgnals which they are ada.pted to transmit to operate the siren. The operator will then plug into a jack such as J With a cord such as P, operating key K thereof, and Will dia1 the number required to reach the siren control apparatus end regster the code digits corresponding to the location of the fire. The first two digits of this number are the digits 1 and 4, serving to operate the selectors SI and S2, respectively, and the last two dgits are the code clgits 3 and 5. Hence the complete number is 1435.

On pluggng the cord P into the jack J the first selector SI is prepared for operaton in the usual manner, and when the calling device CD 15 operated in accordance Wth the first digt 1 the selector Will raise its shaft carrying wipers 2I-23 to the first level and will rotate in on this level in search of an idle second selector. The operation of the first selector Wll not be given in detail as the circuit s not shown, but it may be stated that the operation s the same as that of the second selector S2, which will be explane'd.

Assuming that the second selector S2 is idle, there Will be battery potential on the test contact 24, and when the test wiper 2| of the selector SI pcks up this battery potential the test relay Will energize end stop the rotation 01 the swtch with wipers 2|, 22, and 23 in engagement, respectively, With bank contacts 24, 25, and 26. Relay 32 of the second selector energizes in seres With the test relay of the first selector. The operation of the test relay in the first selector extends the trunk through to the wipers 22 and 23 and a circuit is therefore establshed for the line relay of the second selector S2. Upon energizing, line relay 30 closes a circuit for the slow-acting release relay 3|. The latter relay on energizing grounds the incoming test circuit at 38, thereby closing a, local holding circuit for relay 32 and also closing a holding circuit for the test relay of the selector SI. Ground applied to the test contact 24 and its multiples in the banks of the other first selectors maintains the second selector S2 in busy conditon. The release relay 3| also connects the upper Winding of the test relay 33 to the test wper 5| at 39, and prepares a circuit for the vertical magnet 34 at 40. It Will be noted also that the ground at 38 serves to energize the lower polarizing Winding of the test relay 33. This relay, however, does not operate at this time.

When the operator dials the next digit 4 of the number the line relay 30 deenergizes four times and transmits four impulses to the vertcal magnet 34, the circut including 45, 31, 40, and the Winding of the vertical magnet. The vertcal magnet responds to these impulses end raises the shaft carryng the wipers 5|, 52, and 53 step by step to the fourth level of the banks. On the first step of the switch shaft the offnormal contacts labeled On in the drawing are all shifted and crcuts are prepared for the release magnet 36 and for the rotary magnet 35. Also the circut of the upper Winding of the slow-actng relay 32 is broken; but ths relay holds up whle the line relay 31! is sending impulses to the vertcal magnet 34, as the lower Winding of the relay is connected in parallel with the vertical magnet.

When the impulses cease, the wipers come to rest opposte the fourth level, and an nstant later relay 32 deenergizes, closing a circut at 4| for the rotary magnet 35. Upon energizing, the rotary magnet rotates the switch shaft one step. bringing the wipers 5|, 52, and 53 into engagement with the bank contacts 54, 55, anni 56, respectvely. The rotary magnet breaks its own circuit and falls back, whereupon its circuit is reclosed, but before the magnet can energize again test relay 33 energizes and breaks the rotary magnet circut at 45, thereby definitely bringing the selector to rest. The crcuit of the test relay extends from ground at 38 by way of the upper Windng of the test relay, 39, 5|, 54,

63, key BK, I3I and upper winding of relay I05 to battery. When the test relay 33 energizes,in addtion to breaking the rotary magnet circut at 45, the relay extends the test lead through at 42 and extends the talking conductors of the trunk through ai; 43 and 44, at the same time disconnectng the line relay 30. The line relay 30 and the release relay 3| accordingly fall back, but the test relay 33 remains operated from ground at the siren contro] apparatus as Will be presently explained, and the selector remans in operated position.

The talking conductors of the trunk are now extended by way of wipers 52 and 53, bank contact 55 and 56, and conductors 65 and 68, to the line relay I0[I of the siren control apparatus, and this relay accordingly energizes, closing a circuit at I25 for the slow release relay IIII. On energizing, relay IDI prepares a steppng circuit at I26 for the minor switch MSI and closes a circuit at I28 for relay I02. The closure of contact I28 also applies ground to incoming test conductor 6|, which makes the siren contro] apparatus busy at the second set of bank contacts of the first level of the selectors suola as S2. Ground at I28 also extends by way of I21 and key BK to the incoming test conductor 63, whch makes the siren control apparatus busy at the first set of bank contacts in the fourth level, and also provides a holding circut for the second selector S2 as hereinbefore mentoned. When the relay |02 energzes it closes a circuit for the lower polarzing Winding of relay III at I32, but relay I II does not operate at ths time. Relay IIJ2 also grounds the incoming test conductor 64 at I44 and grounds the ncoming test conductor 60 at I 29, thereby making the siren contro] apparatus busy at the fi1st set of contacts in the first level and the second set of contacts in the fourth level of the second selectors. The olosure of contact I3ll is not effectve to operate relay I 03 because the circuit of this relay has previously been opened at I28 by relay IDI.

Retzrning now to the time when the sren control apparatus s first seized, t Will be recalled that the circut of the test relay of the selector S2 ncludes the winding of relay I 05 of the signal control apparatus, ancl relay III5 is accordingly energized in series with the test relay. On energzing relay IIJ5 closes a crcuit at I4I| for the steppng magnet II8 of the minor swtch MS3. Magnet II8 is accordingly energized and the wper I 60 of the minor switch is advanced one step into engagement with the first contact in its bank. Now, when relay I(l2 energizes a little later the circuit of relay II]5 is broken at I3I and accordingly relay I05 falle back and breaks the circuit of stepping magnet II8, which thereupon deenergizes.

The operator may now dial the third digit of the number, which is the first code digit 3. As a result the line relay III!) is deenergized three times and three impulses are transmitted to the stepping magnet II4 of the minor switch MSI, the circuit extending from ground at I25 by way of I26, I43, I3I, and winding of magnet II4 to battery. Magnet II 4 responds to these rnpulses and advances the wper I5'I three steps into engagement Wth the third contact in its bank. The slow-acting relay I04 1's energizecl in parallel Wth the magnet II4 and holds up durng the series of impulses. Upon the first step of the minor swtch MSI, its off-norrnal contacts on" are closed and a. circuit is prepared for the release magnet I |5. Also a new energizing circuit is prepared for relay II25, but ths relay does not energze at the mon'1ent due to the fact that relay IM has already operated. When the impulses for the first code digs cease, the minor swtch MSI comes no 1est Wth ts wiper' I5I in engagement With the Ihirc contac; in its bank anc1 shortly afterwarrs the slow-acting relay MM. fa1ls baok. The n.ew energizing srcuit far relay IU5 s thereupon clos'ed, said. crcuit extending from ground ai; IB by way of I3 lower off* normal contacbs on of MSI, 1ower ofnormal contacts on of M52, anc the lower windng of relay 185 to battery. On energizng, relay I05 again closes the circut of stepiong magnet 8 of minor Swch MS3 ai; MI), 2nd magna-I; energizes to advance the wper II 3I3 nto engagement With the second contact of its bank. The shifting of contact I39 of re1ay I5 is of no importa,nce at the moment, but at I38 re-1ay I5 prepares a holding crcut for its upper Winding, and at I3'I' the re1ay shfts the mpulsing circut from the stepping magne- H5 of minor swtch MSI to thesepping magnet I I6 of minor 'swtch MS2.

The opera-tor may now dia1 the last dgit of the number, whch is the second Code dgit 5. In response to the dalling of ths digita the line relay II?!) deenergzes five times and transmts five mpuses to the stepping magnet II6 of the minor swtoh M82. Steppi.ng magnet IIS accordingy operates five times and advances Wip? ers I58 andI59 into engagement wth the fifth contacts of ther respectve banks. acting relay IM energzes in parallel with the stepping magnet IIQ and ho1ds up during the series of five impulses. At'I3fi r1ay IM breaks the crcut of stepping magnet H8 of minor switch M53 and allows ths magnet to deener gze. At E35 relay IIMI breaks the intal energzng circut for the lower Windng of relay IIJ5 and at the same time c1oses a crcuit by Way of 235 and I38 for the upp.er wndng of relay I05, whch maintains re1ay Ifl'5 energized. On the first stop of the minor swtch M52, the ofi-norma] sprngs are shift-ed and at the upper pair of oi-normal contacts a circutis prepared for the release magnet II'I, While at the 1ower par of off-normal contacts the ritialenergzng crcut for the lower winding of' relay '505 is broken. When the impu'ses for the last dg'it ceas,the slovv-acting re1ay Ifi4 falls back and breaks the oircut or" relay me at I35. Relay IB5 is slowacting, however, and before t can restore another impulse 1's transmtted by -way of I36 and M to the stepping magnet II8 of minor swtch Wper IISB is a.ccordingly advanced nto engagement With the thrd contact in its bank.

The complete number 1435 has now been dalled, ami the last two dgts of the number, 01 the code digita, have been registered on the minor switches MSI and'MS2l The wiper I'! of minor switch MSI is now standing on thethrd oontact in its bzmk and the wper I58 of minor switch M52 standing on the fifth contact in its bank. Also t Wll be recalled that the wiper IEIJ of M83 has been advancecl to the third contact in Gs bank. Contacts I to 8 of the bank of wiper 55'! of minor switch MSI are multpled in r'everse order to c'ontacts 2 to 3, in the.bank

of wper I6I of rotary switch ESI, and contacts I te E! in the bank of wiper 258 of minor swtch M52 are multple'd straight to contacts I2 to 2|, inclusive, in the bank of wiper I5I"of rotary switch ESI. These multiple connectons are not shownnfull but are indicated by the braci;-

The slowets a2nd heavy'li'nesa. II: willbe seen, therefore, tha.-t the: seventh contact inthe bank of wper I-fiI W1l be marked wth a. ground potential and that the sixteenth contact in the bank of wper G|W be marked Wth a.battery potential. The ground potential. on the seventhcontact is obvoslydrived+ from the settng of grounded wper I5'I on ts third contaot, while the battery potential on. the sixteenth contact is derved from thesettngxof Wpr I58 on ts fifth contact, the Wiper4li5flbeing connected to battery through the lower winding of.. re1ay Il5.

Cc'mtinuing with the operation, when re1a;y II5 fa.1ls back when:its crcuit s 'broken by the falling back of 'relay IIM at the end of the diallng operation, trecloses the circut for the lower polarizing winding of relay III ai; I39;'

ami at MI closesan initial energizng circut for the. steppng relay II2 of rotary swtch RSI; This riircut extends from grounded wiper I64 in norma-1 positon, by way of the first contact in the bank of thewiper I64, fifth contaot'in the bank of wper I59 of MS2, Wper I59, I4I,

tery. Ori energizng relay II2 c1oses a circuit for steppng magnet I2ll and the latter upon energzing breaks the relay circuit at I56. The relay I l'2 accordingly deenergizes and breaks the magnet circut, wherel1pon the magnet denergizes in turn and advances the wipers I6.I I64 one step, at the same time reclosing the circuit cistepping relay H2. circuit is now establshed whch extends from the grounded wper I64 by way of strappati contacts in the bank of ths wiper, I 54, I5I, and windng of relay II 2 to battery. The relay II! and magnet IZI'! accordngly nteract in the well l;nown manner and rapidly advance the wipers USI-l'54 of RSI step by step in se arch of the first marked contact in the bank of wiper I6I Aostated hereinbefore, the Contact Whch has been markd is the seventh contact, ar'1d when wper IIISI arrives at this point, theref0re, a circut is comoleted for relay I II, the circut ex- Iser1d'ng from grounded wiper I5'I, by way of the thrd contact in the bank of said Wiper, seventh contact the bank of wiper IBI, wiper' I6I, upper Winding of relay III, and resistance,r to battery. Relay III operates over the foregoing circut and at I54 opens the automatic steppir'ig CICU for stepping relay II2, closes a crcuit for rela,y IEJI5 at I53, grounds wiper I65 of rotary A11 automatic steppng swt-ch RS2at l'52, ancI prepares a, circuit for the ope'ning the stepping circuit to the minor swtches at the -sgmme point, breaks' the initial energizng circuit for stepping re1ay H2. ai: 145, and' a.t M5 clos'e7s a circuit for the ititerrupter relay III9. Rela y II3II accordngly energizs and at I4'I closes a crcut or ntefrupter re1ay III). The Iatter re1a-y on energizng short circuits the Wndng of rela,y IIIII, which ca'uses this relay to fa1l back and b-real; the energizing circuit of relay IIII, short cirCm'ting th6wnding of' the latter relay ai; the same time. Relay IIII-accordngly denrgizs and removes the short circuit from the W-nding of 'relay III9, permtting this relay to agan energize. Accordingly it will be seen Y thai; rela3 s I09 and III) Will operate 'a.lternately so long as the circit of. the former re1ay remains closed at 146. The function of interrupter relays 109 and 110 s to transmt impulses over wiper 162 by way of the ba.ck contact ai: 141 and the front contact at 148. Relays 1118 and 110 are slow-actng and are preferably adjusted so that impulses are trammtted ai; the rate of two per second.

The impulses generated by interrupter relays 1119 and 1111 are efiective 130 step the rotary switch RS2 aver a circut; extending from ground ai: 141 by wa.y of 148, 162, 116, and wndngbf the stepping magnet 121 to battery. The stepping magnet 121 is accordngly operated at half-second intervals 1:0 advance the wpers 165 and 166 step by step over the contacts in their banks.

- When wiper 165 reaches the second contact in its bank, at the end. of the first impulse, a circuit s completed for the coding relay 113, the circui1; extendng from ground. 2.1: 152 by way of wper 165 and the second contact in its bank, conductor l'19, wper 163, conductor 115, 150, and wnding of relay 113 110 battery. Relay 113 accordingly operates and brings about the actuaton of the siren SR by closing the contacts l'13. Wiper 165 s preferably' adjusted so that t does not break the circuit on passng from one contact to the next and accordngly the circuit for coding :elay 1 13 is maintaned while the wper 155 is a.clvancng from the second contact in 1:s bank to the thrd, and the coding relay does not fa.ll ba-ck until Wper 165 leaves the third contact in t-s bank at the end of the thrd impulse. It will be seen therefore, thai: the coding relay 113 w1l be energzed durng two of the half-second steps of the rotary swtchRS2, or for a. total period ci one second. The crcuit of the codng relay 113 is open in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and sevent-h positions of wper 165 and accordingly thesiren is silent for two seconds while the wper 165 is passing through these positons.

. In positon 5 of wiper 165, however, a circuit is completed fo1 advancng the rotary switch RS1. Ths circuit extencs from ground at 152 by way of wper 165,fifth contact in the bank of wiper 165, conductor 114, and windng of steppng relay 112 to battery. Re1ay 112 and magnet 1211 are accordingly energized whle wiper 165 is standing in fifth. position and deenergize when wiper 165 advances 1:0 sixth poston. The deenergizaton of stepping magnet 12121 aclvances the wipers 161-- 154 one step, so that the wiper 161 s moved from the seventh contact in its'bank to the eighth. This brea.ks the original energizing crcut of re- 1a.y 111, but the relay remains in operated position due to the energi zation of ts lower polarizing winding;

The sren 15 off for two seconds, corresponding to four'half-second steps of the rotary switch R52, but when wper 165 arrives a1; contact 8 in its bank the crcut for the code re1ay 113 is again closed and the sren is again actuated, remaining in operation for one second, or during the time that wper 165 is standing on the eghth ami ninth conta;cts in its bank.

Ater sounding the siren for the second time, Wiper 165 engages successvely the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth conta.cts in its bank and the circut of the coding relay 113 is open in these positions of the wiper. In position 11 a circuit is completed as before for the stepping magnet 1211 of the rotary swtch RSI and the resulting operation of this magnet causes the rotary swtch RS1 130 be advanced one more step,

brngng the wiper 151 from the eighth 1:0 the ninth contact in its bank.

Wper 165 of the rotary switch RS2 next engages the fourteenth and fifteenth contacts in its bank; and in these positions of the wiper the circut of the coding relay H3 is aga.in closed and the sren s actuated for the third time. This completesthe sounding of the sren in accordance with the first code digit.

When the wiper 165 engages the seventeenth contact of its bank a. circuit; is completed as before for the stepping re1ay 112, and the resultng operaton of stepping re1ay 112 and steppng magnet 120 brngs about the advance of the rotary swtch R81 one more step, the wipers movng from the nnth contacts in their respectve banks 110 the tenth contacts. The movement of wper 163 from ts ninth contact to its tenth contact results in opening the circuit of coding re- 1a.y 11 3, since the tenth and eleventh contacts in the bank of wper 163 are not strapped. The tenth contact in the bank of wiper 161 s grounded, but the engagement of this grounded contact by wper 161 has no efiect at this time, as relay 1 1 1 is already energized. I

Wiper 165 of rotary switch RS2 continues its advance at half-second ntervals and on reaching the twentieth contact in its bank attempts to close the circut of the coding relay 113, but the crcuit cannot be closed owng to the fact that wiper 163 of rotary switch RS1 is standing on an open contact, ais prevously mehtioned. The siren accordingly s n01; sounded while wper 165 of the rotary switch RS2 is in its twentieth and twenty-first positions.

When wper 155 engages the twenty-third contact in its bank a. circuit is aga.in c1osed for the stepping relay 112 of rotary switch RSI. Stepping relay 112 and steppng magnet 120 accordingly energize, and deenergize when the circut of the stepping relay is broken on the advance of wiper 165 from postion 23 170 position 24. The deenergization of magnet 120 advances the wpers of rota.ry switch RSI tu position H. Since wiper 152 now engages its eleventh contact the next impulse delvered by the interrupter relays 1 119 and 1 10 does not actuate the stepping magnet 121 of rotary switch RS2 but actua.tes the stepping re1ay 112 of rotary switch RS1. Relay H2 and stepping magnet 120 accordngly responds to this impulse and adva.nce the wipers of rotary switch RS1 f1om position 11 to positon 12, while the wpers of rota.ry switch R52 remain standing in position 24.

The next im;ulse from the nterrupter re1ays takes the usual path, as wiper 162 now in position 12, and the rohary switch R82 15 advancecl from positon 24 to position 25. In position 25, Wiper 166 engages a grounded contact and consequently the stepping magnet 121 is immedia.tely energzed and deenergized to advance the wipers of rotary switch R82 to position 1. The wipers therefore go from poston 24 to position 1 responsive to a single impulse, passing automatically through positon 25.

It will be seen now that the circuit of the coding relay 1 13 has remainecl open while the wpers of rota.ry swtch R82 Were passing from position 15 110 position 1, or a total of ten positions, n01: counting position 25, whch is passed without stopping. Since the wipers stand in each of these ten postions for one-half second, the time thus measured off is equal to five seconds. T0 this interval there s added one-half second due to the fact that the rotary switch RS2 misses one mpulse whfle standing in poston 24. The

tot al interval, therefore, s equa1 to five-and-one- Ths is the time prescribed for the 3, and is silent whle the wper passes through' positions 4, 5, 6, and 'I'. In positon 5 a circut s closed for the steppng re1ay II2 of rotary switch RSI and by the operation of rel-ay I 12 and steppng magnet I2II the wipers of rotary switchRSl are advanced to postion I3.

In p-ostons 8 and 9 of wiper II55 the sren is again soundeo'l, end in poston II the usual circuit is olosed over Whoh rotary switch RSI is advanced to postion I4.

In postions I4 and I5 of wper IIS5 the siren sounds for the third time, and in position I! a, circut s closed over which the. rotary switch ESI is advanced to poston I5.

In postions III? and 2I of Wper I55 the sren s sounded for the fourth time, and in position 23 the rotary swtch RSI is advanoed from posi- ,ton I5 to positon IE. Wiper I5I-s now in engagement with the second. marked contact in its bank, but the arrval of wiper IEI thereat has no effect on relay I I I.

The rotary svvtch BSE ;continues through positon 24 to positon I, passing up poston 25 in the manner previously explaned. On advancing from postion I 110 poston 2, the oircut of the csding relay s again closec'l .and the siren s sounded in postons 2 and 3. 'Ihs makes 1've times that the sren has been sounded in suooesson and completes the soundng of the second dgt of the code. The complete sgnal designating the location of the fire has nov'v been sounded, this signa1 oomprsing three blasts of the sren followed by five blasts, corresponding to the code digits 3 and 5.

Whle the siren is soundng the lamp L, vsible to the operator, is flashng o-fl the code sgnal. Although the sren need not be at the telephone exchange, end usually would not be, the operator generally wll be able to hear it a'nd the 1amp L is ehiefiy usefu1 as an assuranoe that the control app-aratus s workng all right in Case the sren should not sound.

When the sren begins te sound the operator may wthdraw ber plug, es no further operatons on her part are requred. On withdrawal of the plug the line relay IMI falle back and at the front contact I25 breaks the ntal energzng circut ner for -stepp;ng relay II 2, and this re1ay operates end eloses a crcut for the stepping magnet I2I3. AI. the same time re1ay I I2 oloses a. circuit for relay III5 which extends ;from ground at I55 by way of I5I, wper IBI end the sixteenth-eontact n;i s ba;nk ;th 9. ntact a he b k of-wipe The siren 15 4 158 and said. vIrper now in engagement therewit-h; and the lower winding of ;relay N15 1:0 bat- ;tery. On energzing, relay I05 closes a crcut ai; HI II for the steppng magnet II8 of mn'or swit ch M53, thereby advancng wiper I6II nto engagement with the ourth contact in its bank. This opera-tion closes-ra. lockng 'crcuit 0r relay 10,6, sad;cincuit including the grounded wper I6I and c0ntaot III-2 of relay .III6. Relay IB5 also broaksthe circuitof the lower polarizing wndng ;the ;upper-windflg of this relay. Theciraiuit of the lower winding of relay III beng open and the uppejr windingof ths relay short crcuited ('relay II2 ;is stl1 'operated) the re1ay deenergizes.

Qn 1falingfbaok re1ay. I I I prepares an automatic floi relay II] at I39 ;and also connets ground to.

steppirrg circut for the rotary swtch ESI at I54,

-a-'Iso takee the ground. 01 fromwper I65 at I52,

but the wiper remans ;gro-unded et wiper H 5B of the minor swtch;MS3. going, relay I I I opens the circuit of the codng re lay,l I3 at I50 and breaks the c-rcuit of re1ay I55 at I. Rela,y IB5 accordingly denergizes, opens the circuit to rnagnet II8 of minor switoh M'Sj, end closes the oircutof the polarizing winding p f relay III. The latter relay remains deenergized, as there is no circut at present estalo- ]is hed. for ;it s upper winding.

The foregoing operations involvng the operaton of ;relay III5 and the deenergization of relay II ,I a11 pccur While the wipers of the rotary swtch RS2 are standing in fifth postion. When the wipers ad-vance from fifth positiotr to sixth positio n wiper. I65 break s the circut of steppng relay I;I2and this r.eay and steppng magnet I2II dee nergi ze, advancng the rotry swtoh RSI from :the eixteenth to the seventeenth position. On

In additon to the forethe falling baek of the stepping magnet I2II the I stepping relay I I2 immediately energzes again 1113 2 1 automatic stepping circuit which was estab- Iished by the deenergzaton of relay III, this circ' uit extenging from the grounded Wper I64 by W3C)" of strapped contacts in its bank, I54, I56, andwndng of relay II2 -to battery, Relay II2 and.magnet I2I) now interact and rapidly'.

.gt this point, contacts 22- to 25 being included in a different c i rcut whch 'is now open at the offnormal contaots of minor switch M83, as well as atcoi1tact I of rlay I06.

The oontinued stepjqing of rotary swtch RS2 now brings about the slow advance of rotary swtoh RSI for the purpose of introducing a long time intrval beforethe sounding of the next code sigral begi'nS. On reaohing positon II wiper I65 closes the circut of steppingrelay II2 and the rotary switch RSI s advanced from positon 22 to1oosition 23. The circuit is again closed In postion I? of wiper I65, advancng the wipers of R-SI from postion 23 to position 24. The circuit s again closed in positions 23 and 5 of rotary swtch RS2, and the two additonaI steps of rotai*y swtch RSI carry the wpers frorn position 26 to position 25 andthen from poston 25 to poston I. Rotary' swtch ESI cannot at this time automatioallyleave position I because the circuit for relay 2 by Way of wiper I64 end W1er I59 of minor switch MS2 s open at contact I45 of relay I 06. When the rtar'y switch RS2 reaches position Il the circuit for stepping relay H2 is closed once more andthe rotary switch ESI is advanced from position I to position 2. The automatic stepping circuit by way of Wper I84, I 5 'I, end I56 is now established, and the rotary switch RSI aclvances rapidly from position 2 to position I, where Wiper I6I engages the first marked contact in its bank end brings about the energization of relay III.

When the roto.ry switch RS2 reaches position I4 the circut of the coding relay II3 is again closed, end thus the operation of the siren in accordance With the registered codedigits begins again. The operation of the sirenthesecond time s'the same as has been previously descrbed and consequently need not be explained in detail. It will be noted that the sounding of the second signal begins With the rotary switch RS2 in position I4I instead of in position 2, but otherwse the operation is the same.

At the end of the second complete code signal relay I05 operates in the manner previously explained and advances the minor switch M53 from the fourth contact in its bank to the fith contact. At the end of the third complete code signal relay IIl5 operates again end steps the minor switch MS3 ahead one more step so that wiper ISO advances from the fifth contact in its bank to the sxth contact.- At the end of the fourth complete code signal, when relay III5 operates it advances minor switch MS3 again, and the wiper I60 moves from the sixth contact to the seventh contact. This operation breaks the locking circuit of relay I06. The energization of relay Ill5 also brngs about the deenergiz'ation of relay III, as previously explained, and when relay III falls baci: relay IIIG falls back also, due to its locking circuit having been broken at the minor switch M53. The de,energizationof relay IU6 stops the operation of interrupter relays I09 end I IO. The deenergization of relay Ill6 also opens the circuit of the release relay II] I, whereupon this relay and relay I82 all back. The deenergization ofrelays IIJI and 32 removes ground from the incoming test conductors SII, 6|, 63;and 64, and the removal o ground from the test lead 63 breaks the holding circuit for the sel.ector switches SI end S2, which switches accordingly release in the well known manner. The deenergization of relay IflI also completes creuits for the release magnets H5, H1, and IIQ of minor switches MSI, MS2, and MS3, respectively, and the minor switches are accordingly restored to normal. The rotary switches ESI ,ncl RS2 are restored through the medium of their wip.ers I6Il and I6I. As re garcls the rotary switch RSI, t Will be observed that the falling back of relay I05 and the restoro.tion o:f minor switch MS3 connects all of the contacts in the bank of wiper Ii4 in multiple except the first contact, end accordingly regardless of the instant position of wiper I64 the automatic stepping oircuit including wiper I64 end contacts l54 and I56 Will be established and will remain in eiect unti1 postion I is reachecl. As regards the rotary switch RS2, the falling baok of relay IIl6 grounds the strapped contacts in the bank of Wiper I88 end accordingly the stepping magnet I2I operates automatically until the switch reaches position I. Thus all the apparatus is restored to normal position.

The usual procedure in the case of a fire alarm is to sound. the siren four tmes. Thai: is, the complete code number corresponding to the location of the fire is sounded four times by means of the siren. In certain cases, however, as in the case of a fire drill, it may be desired to sound a, code signa1 only once.- The manner in which this is accomplished will now be explained.

The operator plugs into the jack J the same as before' and dials the number, Which in this case comprises the digits 1 and 1, followed by the two digits of the code. When the first digit 1 is dialled the selector SI s operated as before expla,ined to connect Wth a second selector such as the second selector S2. Responsive to the dialing of the second digit 1, the second selector S2 raises its wpers to the first leve], and then automatcally rotates the wipers one step to bring the wipers into engagement With the first set of bank contacts in the first level. This set of contacts gives access to the siren control apparatus shown in Fig. 2 the same as the fi1st set 01 contacts in the fourth level, except that the test leacl 64 is employedinstead of the test lead 63. As the result the test relay 33 of the second selector is energized over a circuit which includes the test wiper 5I, test lead 64, contacts of key BK, oontact I MI, end resistance r to battery. It will be noted that since this circuit is completed te battery through the resstance r instead of through the upper windng of relay IO5, the relay lilli is not operated upon the seizure of the siren control apparatus and the minor switch MS3 does not receive a preliminary step. The line relay H?!) energizes as in the preceding case, followed by the energization of relays IOI and I02 with results es previously explained.

The operator may now dial the two code digits. In the course of the registration of these digits the relay III5 s operated, and this relay cooperating with relay III4 advances the minor switch M83 to the second contact in its bank. The siren is now sounded in the manner previously explained and on the completion of the operation relay 1% is operated again, advancing the minor switch M83 to the third contact in its bank. The operation of relay I05 at the end of the code operation of the siren causes relay III to fall back and now the deenergization of relay III brings about the deenergization of relay IO6. This is due to the fact that the minor switch MS3 has only been advanced to the third contact in its bank and no locking circuit for relay III6 has been established. It follows that the equipment releases and the code is only sounded for single time.

The apparatus s arranged so that single-digli: codes can be sounded as well as two-digit codes. An example of a sngle-digit code is the signal whch is commonly given at twelve oclock noon. This noon sgnal usually comprises a single blast di the siren. The manner of operating the siren to give the noon signal will now be expla.ned briefiy.

The number Which the operator is required to dia] in order to sound the noon signal is the number 1101. The first two digts of the number serve to operate the selectors SI ami S2, and the latter selector sezes the control apparatus at the first set of contacts in the first level in its banks. Seizing the control apparatus over this route rather than by way of the first set 01 contacts in the fourth level determines that the signal will be sounded only once. This feature of the invention hasjust been explained. The registraltion of the last two dgitS takes piace in the manner previously described, and when the third digit of the number s dialled the Wiper I5'I of minor switchMSl is set on the tenth contaci: in its bank. The dalling of the fina1 digt in the number sets the wiper I 58 of minor switch M52 on the first contact in its bank.

As soon as the number has been dialled the control apparatus starts-to function and. rotary switch RSI hunts for the first marked contact in its bank. It vvll be seen, however, that since the tenth contact in the bank of minor switch MSI is dead, that is, not connected up, none of the contacts 2 to 9, inclusive, in the bank of wiper III! will be marked wth a. ground potental, and ccinsequently the re1ay III will not pu1l up until the rotary sWtch ESI arrives in tenth postion. In this position wiper I fil engages a grounded contact and consequently relay III s energized; but at the same time it Will be seen that wiper I63 has also reached the tenth contact in its bank, end since this contact s open the circut for the coding re1ay II3 cannot be closed. Thus, the first code digit is omitted. The rotary switches RS2 and RSI continue to functon and in position I2 of rotary switch RSI the code relay II3 s operated and the siren is sounded. The twelfth contact in the bank of wiper I6l is the contact that has been mark'ed. by the setting of wiper I58 of minor switch MS2, and according1y when the swtch R52 again closes the circuit of the stepping relay H2, relay I 05 Will be energized, re1ay III will be deeneigi2ed, and further actuation of the sren Wi1l cease. Thus t Will be seen that the diallng of the specified number 11I)1 wi1l produce a single blast 01 the siren.

The functon of the busying key BK Will now be explained. The interrupter relays IIJ9 and III] constitute a somewhat critieal part of the apparatus as they have to-transmit impulses reliably and at a constant frequency. These relays, therefoie, may occasionally require to be nspected and adjusted. For this reason a second set of interrupter relays comprising relays I 01 and I08 s provded. 'I'his second set of interrupter relays is ordinarily not in use and may be adjusted e,t any time without interfering With the operation of the rest of the equpment. In case the interrupter relays I 09 and Il!) should require attention, however, the man Who is working on the equipment Wl1 first operate the busy ke-y BK. The operation of this key arranges matters so that if the control apparatus is sezed by a second selector such as S2 the interrupter relays II" and I08 will be used instead of the interrupter relays I 09 and IIII. The manner in whieh ths is accomplshed wi11 now be briefiy explaned.

Assuming that the operator dials a number to sound the siren for a regular fire call, a second selector, S2, for example, Wll be raised to the fourth level and will rotate in on this level with the test wiper 5| searching for a battery potential. Since key BK has been operated the test lead 63 will now be open. and consequently the switch is unable to stop on the fi'rst set of contacts but rotates over to the second set of contacts. On the second. test contact in the fourth 1eve1 the test wiper 5I finds a battery potential over test 1ead. 50 and through contact I 29 and the Winding of re1ay. III3. Accordingly the test relay 33 of the selector pulls up in seres With relay III3, the latter relay energizing also. On the extendng through of the line conductors by the operaton of test relay 33, the line relay IDI! operates, followed by the operaton of relays IUI end III2. Relay IIIII on energizng closes a looking circut for relay I03 by way of I 28, I2'I, and

me, from which it W11 be seen that rela.y ma will remain energized throughout the rema'inihg operations of the control apparatus. stitution of the interrupter comprisng relays I-0'I end I08 for the nterrupter comprising relays III9 and III] takes piace at armature I34 of relay I03. It Will readily be seen that wth relay I03 operated, when relay Ifl6 pulls up it will close a circuit through to relay Iii! rather than to relay I09.

It may happen that after ,n operator has dalled some fire alarm number and the siren has started to sound, she Will desre to stop the sren, as forexample, if later inforrnationshould show that the fire cali was a false 'alarm. The operator might also accdentallydial the-wrong number. Such a situati0n W11 arise infrequently, but nevertheless it is de'sirableto provide mea'ns foi readily stoppng the siren if it should become The subthe second level is not novv guarded from the siren control apparatus, so the second selector in use W'lll stop even though the first oprated second selector is being held up by the operating siren control apparatus.

More in detail, when the operated seeor'1d selector rotates in on the first set of contacts in the second 1evel the test relay suolo es 39 WH operate over a eircuit in-eluding the test ead 52, the upper winding of relay It', ami the upper windng of relay to bettery. The energizaton of the test re1ay brngs the selector to rest in the usual manner. Current flow over the test circuit deenergizes reay IEG by differentia] actio'n, end e'nergzes relay I55. The latter re1ay brings about the deenergizeton of reay III if the same in energze eondition at the time. Relay IEB6 cannot reoperate over its upper Windng as this Winding has few ampere turns, suicient only to balance out enough of the lower winding to make the telayfall back. Relay IME, on fallng baek, breaksthe 1eking ei'rouit of relay II)! ami clos es a circuit for relay I 0 2 and magnet IIE at M3,

Relay IMI, on energizing, closes a holding cir cuit for the selectors from grou'nd et I2 8 by way of I35, I38, upper winding of relay IM, end test lead 82. At the s'eleetors this crcuit is gro1irided untl the release relay of the second selector fa1s baok and after that neludes thehgh resistance lo-cking Wndingsof the test relays, se re1ay i555 remans unoperated. A short interval after ts locking crcuit is broken relay I@I deenergizes, fo1ioWed by thedeenergization of relay N32. These relays falling back remove ground from all the ineoming test lea-ds, ncuding test lead 62, and both switch traino are releaserl, Relay I.I5 also restores at this time. Relay I8"I fallng back breaks the crcuit of relay Ii4 and magnet I I 5, end eloses the release me.gnet cir-cuits of the minor switches. The rotary switches restore es previou slyexpla'ned.

Whiie'the nvention has been descrbed 'as in.- stalled. in an automatic telephone system, it will be appreciated that it could readily be nstalled in a, manual system. When installed in a manual system a, number of different; jacks would be used at some operators position to give access to the control apparatw; over the requisite number of different routes, and the operator would be provided With a special dial plug and calling device. The invention having been descrbed, what is considered to be new and is desired to have pro" tected by Lettere Patent Will be set forth in the appended c1aims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a signaling system, a signal, signal control apparatus, an automatc switch, means for operating sa.d automatc switch to extend a connection to said apparatus over either of two dfferent routes, means included in said apparatus and selectively controlled over the extended connection for operating said signal in accordance Wth any desired one of certan code signals, end means included in said apparatus for automatically controlling the number of tmes the code signal is to be repeated. in accordance With the route used for the connection.

2. In a sgnaling system, sgnal control apparatus, switching means for extending a connecton to said apparatus, means for causng sad connection to be extended over ether of two different routes, means included in sald apparatus end selectvely controlled. over the extended connection for operating a signal, a pair of timed impulse generatore forming part of sad last means, end means depending on the route over which the connecton is extended for determning which one of said generatore; is to be used for signal operation.

3. In a signaling system, 9. sgnal, signal control apparatus, two routes over which said appa ratus may be sezed, an automatic switch, means for operating said switch to extend a connecton to said apparatus over either of sad routes, means in said apparatus controlled over said connection for operatng said signal in accordance with a partcular code, end addtional means in said. apparatus operated over the route used for controlling in accordance Wth the route used the number of times the code is to be transmitted by said sgnal.

4. In a signalng system, e signal, signal control apparatus, two routes for extendng a connection to sad apparatus, means in said apparatus controlled over one of said routes for operating said signal to transmit the desired code and. for repeatedly actuatng said signal in accordance wth the desred code 9. predetermined number of tmes, and means in said apparatus responsve to seizure over the other of said routes for stoppng the transmission of the code signal at any time prior to the completion thereof.

5. In a sgnaling system, signal controlapparatus, means for selectively controlling said apparatus, said apparatus comprisng a. first progressively movable switch, means for advancing said swtch step by step, a second progressively movable swtch, a signal, a signal control circuit including sad first and second switches, means including said first switch for alternately closing said signal control circuit and a circuit for the advancing means of said second switch, means including said second svvt-ch operated after a predetermined advance thereof for preventing the continued advancement of the first swtch from closing said control crcuit, said apparatus operated responsve to said selective control for determinng the number of cycles through which sa.d switches are operated to close said signal control circut.

6. In a, signa.ling system, a signal, signal control apparatus, means for sezing and operating said apparatus to thereby control the operation of sad signal, said apparatus comprising a first end a second step-by-step switch, a source of timed impulses, a circuit for advancng said first swteh includng said source and a wiper of said second switch, a, circut for advancng said sec 0nd switch includng a wiper of said first sw'cch, end a signal control circut including serially related wipers of both of said switches for controlling the operation of sad signal.

7. In a signalng system, e signal, signal control apparatus, means for seizing end controlling the operation of said apparatus, said apparatus comprsng a first end a second step by step switch, a source of current impulses, a circut for advancing the first switch ncluding said source and a wiper of sad second swtch, a. circuit for advancing the second swtch including a wper of the first switch, 2]. relay controlled through a wiper of the second swtch, a signal control circuit including serally related wipers of both said swtches end contacts of sad relay, end means operated by said seizing end controlling means for determning the number of cycle operations of said switch wipers to control sad signal control crcuit.

8. In a sgnaling systern, two registers, means for setting said registers over any one of a. plurality of routes, a first end a second rotary switch, means for controlling the advancement of sad second rotary switch under alternate control of said regsters, means for controlling the advancement of said second rotary swtch under control of said first rotary switch each time after 11: 1's controlled by one of said registers, a signal, a co11trol crcuit for operating said signal, means ncluding wipers of said rotary swtches for completing said crcuit in accordance Wth the setting of said registers, end means controlled over the route used in setting said registers for determning the number of times sad signal s to be operated to repeat the registration in accordance Wth the setting of sa.id regsters.

9. In a, signaling Syste1n, two registers, means for setting said registers over either of two routes, a counting switch, means for operating said counting switch to find the setting of sad registers, multiple connections between thebank of one register end a section of the bank of sad counting switch, multiple connections between the bank of the other register and a different section of the bank of said counting switch, a signal, an operating circut for said sgnal, a coding relay, means for operating said relay over one of the multiple connections of sad first set of multiple connectons to close said operating crcuit when said counting switch finds the setting of the first of said registers, end means for deenergzing said coding relay to open sad operatng circuit when said counting switch finds the setting of the second of said. registers over the second set of multiple connections, and contre! means dependent upon the route over which sad registers are set for determining the number of tmes the countng swtch fincls the settng of the registers to control said sgnal CI'CU.

MORRIS E. GRIEFINS. 

